Dietitians for Children Mobile AL

Local resource for dietitians for children in Mobile. Includes detailed information on local businesses that provide access to expertise on healthy diets, children obesity treatments, supplements for children, vegetarian diets, kid recipes, meal planning, and children's nutrition planning as well as advice and content on the importance of good nutrition.

Are Overweight Kids at Risk for Diabetes?

Are Overweight Kids at Risk for Diabetes?

Dr. Gary Huber : Head Medical Ego

This simple question has a clear and simple answer . . . YES. The old fashioned notion of the cute “chubby” kid has now grown into a serious concern. I’m not talking about simple “baby fat,” I’m referring to the epidemic that you see all around you where kids are stretching the fabric of their shirts with belly fat.

“Overweight or obesity is the most important risk factor for the development of diabetes” is a quote taken from the Pediatrics medical journal. It was written to warn doctors but it is we the parents that need to heed that proclamation and take action.

Our kids are at risk in alarming numbers. Over the past 30 years the number of kids diagnosed as being overweight has risen by more than 100%. A full 31% of our kids are “at risk” for obesity given their present pediatric body weight percentile.

A study done back in 1994 showed that kids between the ages of 10 to 19 accounted for 33% of all the newly diagnosed diabetics!!! Doesn’t that alarm you?

One third of all new diabetics are kids!

In Cincinnati alone we have experienced a 10 fold increase in the number of diabetic kids between the years 1982 and 1994. Do you think that number has better or worse in the past 15 years?

Here’s an interesting perspective; 65% of these newly diagnosed kids with diabetes had a first-degree relative with type 2 diabetes. I can hear the sigh of relief now, “so it’s all genetic, right”?

Wrong.

What do we get from our first-degree relatives besides their genes? We are taught their eating and lifestyle habits. We know with great certainty that diet and lifestyle are 2 of the biggest factors when it comes to developing type 2 diabetes.

Well what has changed over the past 20 years to cause this tremendous problem? Are these darn kids just eating more food?

No.

A nutritional survey shows that kids have not increased their food consumption. Then they must be eating more fat, right?

No.

Actual fat intake has fallen over the years as our misguided notions of healthy foods have made a villain of fat and we now have 10,000 processed fat free options.

But our food quality is outstanding in this country, we have the best food supply in the world . . . right?

Well, yes and no.

So much of our diet is processed foods loaded with high fructose corn syrup and devoid of fiber. We need to rethink what we feed our kids and get back to REAL whole ...